Lake Houston area gets recovery boost after $2.5 billion bond passes

By Kaila Contreras, Staff Writer

Updated
2:51 pm CDT, Sunday, August 26, 2018

Signs are carried out to rally for Proposition A in the upcoming Harris County Flood Control District Bond Election before a press conference by Harris County leaders, including Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, Harris County Judge Ed Emmett and Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis, on the banks of White Oak Bayou at TC Jester Park on Thursday, Aug. 9, 2018, in Houston. The leaders ask county residents to vote for the $2.5 billion bond proposal to help finance a 10- to 15-year program of flood mitigation projects. less

Signs are carried out to rally for Proposition A in the upcoming Harris County Flood Control District Bond Election before a press conference by Harris County leaders, including Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, ... more

Photo: Yi-Chin Lee, Staff Photographer / Staff Photographer

Photo: Yi-Chin Lee, Staff Photographer / Staff Photographer

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Signs are carried out to rally for Proposition A in the upcoming Harris County Flood Control District Bond Election before a press conference by Harris County leaders, including Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, Harris County Judge Ed Emmett and Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis, on the banks of White Oak Bayou at TC Jester Park on Thursday, Aug. 9, 2018, in Houston. The leaders ask county residents to vote for the $2.5 billion bond proposal to help finance a 10- to 15-year program of flood mitigation projects. less

Signs are carried out to rally for Proposition A in the upcoming Harris County Flood Control District Bond Election before a press conference by Harris County leaders, including Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, ... more

Election results show that 86 percent of the votes were cast in favor of the bond, while 14 percent opposed with 98 percent of precincts reporting. Out of the 2 million voters registered in Harris County, only about 150,000 voted, or 6.6 percent.

All results are unofficial until canvassed.

The bond will provide funds for flood mitigation projects in the Lake Houston area, such as buyouts in flood prone areas, monies to help facilitate the design and construction of additional gates on Lake Houston and a study of the San Jacinto River watershed.

Now that the bond has passed, Lake Houston Area Chamber of Commerce President Jenna Armstrong said businesses and residents will have more confidence to rebuild.

“It gives that reassurance. It gives that confidence for businesses that we’re going to make it, we’re going to come out better and have a stronger community and this is the place we want to stay and this is the place where we want to grow,” Armstrong said.

San Jacinto River Authority Board Member Mark Mitcheletti said he’s pleased with the voting results.

“It just shows that people understand the plight that we’re under and what we need to happen and we can’t continue as we have in the past so it’s extremely encouraging to see that and I think it’s a great message to everybody, elected officials and businesses and people in our community that we’re going to take actions to address the problems that have long, long been neglected,” Mitcheletti said.

The bond will fund at least 230 projects managed by the Harris County Flood Control District, including $1.2 billion for channel improvements, $401 million for detention basins, $242 million for flood plain land acquisition, $12.5 million for new flood plain mapping and $1.25 million for an improved early flood warning system.

The bond was of interest to Lake Houston area voters, according to data from the Harris County Clerk’s office.

Early voting started on Aug. 8 and ended on Tuesday. According to the Harris County Clerk’s Office 4,133 people voted in the Kingwood Community Center, 406 people voted at the Edith Fae Cook Cole Branch Library in Crosby and 598 people voted at the Lone Star College Atascocita Center during the early voting period.

Armstrong said she was very impressed with the early voter turnout in the Kingwood Community Center.

“I’m not surprised. I know Kingwood, of course, is just extremely motivated to see things happen, to make their voices heard and I think that is what areally led to our success so far,” Armstrong said. “I don’t think there’s any other community in Houston that has had so many proactive initiatives go their way.”

Some residents voted because they were personally affected by Hurricane Harvey; others who weren’t affected went out to the polls and voted “yes” on the bond to help the community heal.

“I know areas not too far from me that got hit pretty bad,” Humble resident Rosa Tennyson said. “Since our subdivision wasn’t hit bad we went out to different areas to see what we could do.”

Tennyson said since Harvey hit the Houston area people have started looking out a little more for each other.

“I think it has gotten to where we’re talking more to each other. We’re kind of looking out for each other and just passing things along that before if it didn’t involve us then they could handle it. Instead of doing that, we’re sharing it with others,” Tennyson said.

Kingwood resident and Precinct 563 Chair of the Harris County Republican Party created a booth in front of the Kingwood Branch Library to encourage people to vote in the bond election and volunteer in future elections.

“I think people have worked very, very hard individually and collectively to try to bring this community back and slowly but surely our businesses have come back and our restaurants. We’re definitely Kingwood proud,” Marcus said.

Crosby resident Yronda Jackson, voted to approve the bond. Although her home did not sustain damage during Harvey others in her subdivision did.

What really motivated her to vote “yes” for the bond was for flooding issues on the streets in the area.

During Harvey, many of the roads in Crosby and Houston were closed. Her 13-year old dog was ill at the time and needed to get to the veterinarian. Since the roads were closed, her dog died before Jackson was able to take it to the vet.

“My dog was sick and I couldn’t get her to the vet until roads cleared and places opened up and by the time I got her to (the vet) it was too late and I had to put her to sleep,” Jackson said. “Sept. 1 would make it a year since (my dog) has passed so that’s how Harvey impacted me.”

kaila.contreras@chron.com

More Information

Below are a list of some projects in the bond for the Lake Houston area: